Fire-shutter.



D. B. BRYAN & H. F. BLANCHARD. M. BRYAN, AnMlNlsTn/nmx or D. a. BRYAN,nEc'D.

URE sHuTTER. APPLICATION FlLED AUG.25, 19H.

Patented Dec. 12, 1916.

3 SHEETS-SHEET l.

D. B. BRYAN 6L H. F. BLANCHARDA N. BRYAN. NDNHNISTRATNIX oF D. s. BRYAN,DEc'o. FIRE SHUTTER. APPLICATION FILED AUG.26,19H.

Patented 1190.12, 1916. v ai 3 SHEETS-SHEET 2 1U. l l 4f D. B. BRYAN &H. F. BLANCHARD.,

M. B. BRYAN. ADMINISTRATRIX 0F D B. BRYAN, DECD.

FIRE SHUTTER.

APPLICATION man AUGJG. 1911.

Patented Dec. 12, 1916.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

nutren s'rAfrn-s narnnr arriba.

DANIEL B. BRYAN, OF LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY, AND HAROLD F. BLANCHARD, OF NEWYORK, N. Y.; MARY B. BRYAN ADMINISTRATRIX OF SAID DANIEL B. BRYAN,DECEASED; SAID BLANCHARD AND SAID ADMINISTRATRIX A-SSIGNORS TO THEKINNEAR MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF COLUMBUS, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF WESTVIRGINIA.

FIRE-SHUTTER.

Appli-cation filed August 26, 1911.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that we, DANIEL B. BRYAN, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of Lexington, in the county of Fayette, State ofKentucky, and HAROLD F. BLAN- cHAnD, a citizen of the United States, anda resident of New York, in the county of New York, State of New York,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fire-Shutters, ofwhich the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to that type of fire shutters which closeautomatically upon a dangerous rise of temperature, such as is caused byfire, in the immediate neighborhood of the shutter.

Our invention relates more particularly to such fire resisting shuttersor curtains as are composed of metallic slats, preferably steel., hingedtogether and adapted to be coiled upon a drum or roller. Shutters ofthis class may be raised and lowered in ordinary use, under the controlof a suitable counter-balance or spring. Upon the occurrence of anabnormal rise in temperature, fusible connections are melted releasingthe shutter from the control of the spring or counter-weight andpermitting the same, if in raised position, to descend automatically.

The objects of our invention are to provide simple, reliable andgenerally improved devices of this character.

A particular' object of our invention is the provision of means wherebythe descending curtain, upon the melting of the fusible links referredto, shall maintain itself throughout its fall., always in a verticalplane and closely adjacent to the opening to be protected thereby.

Another object of our invention is the provision of improved means forbraking or retarding the fall of the shutter or cur-- tain during itsautomatic descent.

`Other objects of our invention relate to the form of the guideway orchannel by which the curtain or shutter is guided in its descent.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patent-ed Dec. i2, 191MB.

Serial No. 646,083.

Other objects of our invention reside in combinations of parts anddetails of construction, all as will more fully appear in the followingspecification and appended claims.

In order that our invention may be more clearly understood, attention ishereby directed to the accompanying' drawings, forming part of thisspecification, and illustratingpreferred modifications of our invention.

In the drawings, Figure l represents a section on line 1-1 of Fig. 3looking toward the right, and illustrating in this instance the righthand housing. Fig. 2 represents an end elevation of the other housing;in this instance the left hand housing. Fig. 3 represents a frontelevation of the two brackets or housings, together with the shuttermounted upon the drum or roller, supported thereby, a guide-way forguiding the shutter in its descent also being shown. Fig. L represents aview similar to Fig. 1, in which the shutter has entirely unwound. fromits drum, during the automatic operation thereof, and the parts areshown in operated position; Fig. 5 represents a partial end elevation ofa bracket or housing in a modiiied form vof construction; Fig. 6represents a section taken upon line 6--6 of Fig. 3, illustrating' thepreferred form of guideway or channel; and Fig. 7 represents an end viewof the bottom of the shutter or curtain.

Referring' to the drawings, the shutter l when in elevated position, iswound or coiled on a drum or roller 2 carried by shaft 3 supported inbrackets 4 and 5, secured to the wall of the building, adjacent theupper right and left hand ends respectively, of the opening to beprotected, which may be a door or a window. Shutter l is illustratedmerely diagrannnatically in Fig. l, the oenter lines of a portion onlyof the shutter coiled upon the drum, being sho-wn. The side edges of theshutter in its ascending and descending movements, are guided by curedto the end of the shaft 3 the channels or guideways secured to thewalls, one of which is shown in Figs 1, 3 and 6, by the character 6. Theside edges of the descending shutter pass through openings 7 in thebottom of the brackets or housings 4 and 5. Grdinarily the shutter israised and lowered by any suitable means, such as the sprocket wheel 8,around which may pass a hand chain, this sprocket being Secured to oneend of a shaft 9, or connect-` ed to the shaft through such gearing asis necessary. Upon shaft 9 is keyed a bevel gear 10 meshing with a bevelgear 11 seadjacent to shaft 9. Upon thel other end of shaft 3 is securedbevel geary 11 which meshes with a bevel gear 10 keyed to the 'shaft 9,the bevels 10 and y11 being similar to bevels 10 and 11. The sprocketwheel 12 is mounted upon the end of shaft 3 and is free to revolvethereon adjacent to shaft 9, and inside o-f the housing, a sprocketchain 13 passing around the same and around another sprocket wheel 14mounted upon a shaft 15.V Shaft 15 is ordinarily locked against rotationby means later to be described. Drum 2 upon which the curtain or shutteris coiled, is however, Vfree to revolve with shaft 3 by means of a block16 keyed to the shaft 3 and secured to the drum 2 by machine screws 162.A. coiled spiral spring 16 is mounted within drum 2. One endof spring16is secured to the hub of sprocket 12 as shown at 17, and ,consequentlyisV fixed under normal conditions. The other end of spring 16 is securedto the block 1G as shown in Fig. 3, at 18, the result being that thekspring is Yput under tension by the descent of the cur- .tain and thusserves to counterbalance the same', its tension being calculated tocounterbala-nee the shutter so that only slight force vvill be needed toeither raise or lower the same. In other words, the curtain will coun-.terbalance so that it will stay down when lowered and stay up whenraised. In case of fire, when the shutter is to fall automatically, theshutter must be removed from the influence of spring 16, or thelatterrendered powerless in order that the shutter may automaticallyVand rapidly descend. This is accomplished by unlocking sprocket 12 andaccordingly permitting spring 16 to unwind, by unlocking a locking disk19 which is fixed to shaft 15 which is connected to sprocket 12 by chain13, as described. This operation will now be described.

Locking disk 19, referred to, having radial slots 20 is secured toeneend of shaft 15. x A lever 21 pivoted at 22, as shown in Fig. 3, has anose 23 extending into one of the slots 20 of wheel 19, thus locking thesame. Lever 21 is lheld in locking position normallyV by a lever 24pivoted at25 to a lug secured to the housing 4, lever 24 havingVpreferably a recess or notch on its upper `one of the slotsin disksurface in which the lower edge of the free end of lever 21 rests whenlever 21 is in locking position. The free end of lever 2l; preferablycarries a weighted extension 2.3 to which is secured one end of the cordor flexible connection 26. Connection 26 is fastened to a fusible link27 as shown in Fig. 1 and extends thence through an eye or hole in oneend of a short lever 28 pivoted at 29, as is shown in Fig. lug securedto housing 4. The flexible connection extends downwardly after passingthrough the hole in lever 28, as is shown at 26 in Fig. 1, preferablyhaving another fusible link 27 connected therewith. Freni link 27 theflexible connection extends around a` roller or bearing surface 3U andextends thence across the bottom of the space between the two housings-l and 5, as is indicated at 262 in Fig. 3, the cord passing around asecond roller 30 and thence ascending beside the opposite bracket orhousing, finally being secured to the free end of another short lever 28pivoted at 29 to the housing 5. The ends of levers 28 and 28 to whichthe flexible cord is not connected, are depressed by levers 31 and 31,the tails of levers 28 and 28 extending through opei'lings in levers 31,31. such as is shown at 32 in Fig. 4. The result of this construction isthat levers 31 and 31 are held in the elevated positions shown in F 1and 2, and lever 24 is held in position to hold lever 21 in lockingengagement with 19. lhen a door is required to be operated only in caseof fire, levers 31, 32 can be left down and fusible cord attachedanywhere.

In case of fire, one or more of the fusible links 27, 27 melts,releasing the flexible connection 26, whereupon weighted lever 24 drops,allowing levers 28, 28 to swing about their pivots under the weight oflevers 31, 31', which rest upon the opposite ends of levers 28, 28,whereupon levers 31, 31 slide off the tails of levers 28, 28 andoscillate about their pivots 33, 33 until they strike the upper surfaceof shaft 3, and at the same time weighted lever 24 being` released,oscillates about its pivot, releasing locking lever 21. Locking lever.21is preferably formed with a T shaped lower flange or extension 34, asshown in Fig. 3, which is struck by lever 24 in its descent, thuspositively forcing lever 21 out of locking engagement with disk 19. Disk19 being thus released, shaft 15 is unlocked, and the sprocket 12, thehub of which is connected to the counterbalaneing spiral spring, andsprocket 14, which sprockets are connected by sprocket chain 13 revolvetogether under the influence of counterbalance 16 until same hasentirely unwound, leaving the curtain or shutter free to fall, spring 16being no longer able to offer counterbalancing resistance. The shut- 3,to a bracket or f' ter accordingly does fall under the influence ofgravity, its descent being retarded, to prevent damage to the shutter orthe jamming of the same in the guides, by means which we will nowdescribe.

The shaft 3 is provided at both ends as stated, with bevel gears 11, 11secured thereto, which mesh with bevel gears 10,10 which are keyed toshafts 9, 9. Shafts 9, 9 have formed thereon, screws 35, 35 with akeyway cut through the threads of each screw, the pitch of these screwsbeing eXactly the same as the thickness of the shutter or curtain 1. Theends of shaft 3, carrying roller 2, upon which the shutter is coiled,have bearings in the brackets 36, 36, which are substantially U shapedin end elevation, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, said shaft 3 beingsupported at each end by housings 4 and 5. rThe upper ends of one arm ofeach casting 36, 36', have threaded openings extended therethrough,which constitute nuts through which extend the screws 35, 35. The upperends of the other arms of the castings have openings therethrough whichmay be either threaded or unthreaded, whereby they are mounted uponshafts 9, 9', to the rear of bevel gears 10, 10, which have feather keysfitted to slide in the key-ways provided in the screw shafts 9, 9. Whenthe curtain begins unwinding, rotating gears 11, 10, and 11 and 10, andthereby rotating screws 35, 35, the rotation of screws 35, 35 throughthe nuts formed in castings 36, 36 causes the movement of the castingsand of the roller 2 upon which the curtain is mounted, toward the wall,that is to the left, referring to Figs. 1 and 2. For each revolution ofthe drum and the curtain carried thereby, the screws 35, 35 are rotated,one revolution, bevel gears 10 and 11, 10 and 11, being of the samediameter, and accordingly the axis of the curtain is moved toward thewall a distance exactly equal to the thickness of the curtain.Accordingly, during the entire descent of the curtain, the latter ismaintained in the same parallel plane, closely adjacent to the openingin the wall to be protected thereby.

Levers 31, 31 have noses 37, 37 which, when the fusible links aremelted, fall in front of, that is to the left, referring to Figs. 1 and2, of shaft 3. rlhe curtain is permitted several revolutions unretardedto allow the same to get sufficient momentum before the shaft 3encounters the noses 37, 37. The opposite ends of levers 31, 31, arepivoted, as stated at 33, 33, the pins upon which these levers arepivoted being mounted in strong semi-elliptical springs 38, 38, at themiddle point of each. The ends of these springs are pivoted respectivelyat 39, 40 and 39 and 40, to links 41, 42, and 41 and 42', the oppositeends of which are pivoted at 43, 44, and 43 44, to brackets or lugssecured to the housings 4 and 5. After the shutter has unwound severalrevolutions, shaft 3 will be moved toward the wall sufliciently to causeit to encounter the noses of levers 31, 31, and accordingly the furthermovement of shaft 3 toward the wall will cause the bodily movement oflevers 31, 31 therewith against the resistance of springs 38, 38. lThisresistance increases as the curtain descends, the springs 38 and 38becoming more and more fiat until the final position of the parts is asindicated in Fig. 4, when the curtain or shutter has entirely unwoundand the drum 2 is moved over close to the wall. During its movementfriction has been exerted upon the surface of shaft 3 by noses 37, 37 oflevers 31, 31, and the rotation of screws 35, 35 has been retarded bythe resistance of springs 38, 38 whichresist the movement of thecastings 3G, 3G along the screws, which resistance being transmittedthrough the bevel gears 10, 10, 11, 11, retards the descent of thecurtain. The descent of the curtain is thus effectively braked orretarded while at the same time the curtain has been continuallymaintained parallel to the opening and closely adjacent thereto, so thatneither during its descent nor after it has fallen are any openings leftaround the curtain through which fiame or smoke might enter, and the useof shields to cover the upper portion of the curtain is renderedunnecessary.

A rigid link connection, not shown, connects the bearings of shafts 3and 15, the bearings of shaft 15 being mounted in slots 45 in thebracket in which the same is mounted. rFhis permits the shaft 3 to movein a straight horizontal line, while the curtain is unwound, shaft 15descending in slots 45 until after shaft 3 has passed across thevertical center line of shaft 15.

In Fig. 5 we have illustrated a modified construction for retarding themovement of shaft 3 toward the wall when the curtain is descending. Inplace of the bevel gear and screw construction previously described, astationary rack 46 is used with which coacts a gear 47 mounted on shaft3 and provided with a single tooth 48. When the fusible links melt,lever 31 falls into position to place its nose 37 between shaft and thewall as before, lever 31 being pivoted at 33 to spring 38 as before.Another lever 49 is pivoted at 5G and is provided on its lower surfacewith locking recesses 51 of the same diameter' as shaft 3. A cam 52 issecured to shaft 3 and is provided with a single rise or cam surface 53diametrically opposite to the tooth 4S of gear 47. Lever 49 is providedwith a lateral extension or flange 54. During therotaticn of shaft 3while the curtain is descending one of the recesses 51 engages the shaft3 to prevent the movement of the same toward the wall. Once everyrevolution the -cam 53 encounters flange 54 to lift lever 49 out oflocking engagement With 'shaft 3 and tooth 48 engages one of the teethof the rack, the shaft then moving one space to the left when the lever49 again falls to Yhold the shaft in that position for the remainder ofthe revolution, when tooth 48 encounters the next tooth of the rack andthe shaft is moved one further space toward the Wall, the pitch of therack being the same as thethickness of the curtain. This movement of theshaftV toward the Wall is retarded as before, by the spring 38 which isflattened more and more as the shaft and the lever 31 move toward theWall.

The construction which We prefer to use for guiding the edge of thecurtain is illustrated in Figs. 3 and 6. As there shown, the guide orchannel is formed by a Z shaped member 55, the inner liange of which issecured to the Wall 56 by bolts 57 passing through'slots 58 in verticalalinement in the flange of the Z bar. A Wedge member 59 is mounted asshown, against the inner flange and the angle of the Z bar, a lead orother fusible Washer G0 being interposed between the outer surface ofthe Wedge member and the head or nut Gl of the bolt 57. ledge member 59is preferably formed, as shown, in the shape of the upper portion of aletter A. A plate GQis mounted on the outside of the outer flange of theZ bar 55, the plate 62 having its outer edge bent around the Wedge 59 asshown at 63, and having its inner edge bent around the inner edge of theflange of the Z bar 55, as shoivn at 64, for the purpose Vofstrengthening the same. The plate G2 has openings formed therein in lineWith the bolts 57. The edges of the curtain are guided between the Wall56 and the outer fiange of the Z bar on each side of the door or Window,as shown.

Preferably the curtain 1 is provided on its bottom with a resilientmember for taking up the shock when the curtain hits the sill or floor.Preferably We employ the construction shoivn in YFig. 7, in which blocks65 and 66 are secured in line With each other on opposite sides of thebottom of the curtain at intervals along the bottom and triangular steelbar 67 is mounted in position With its upper sides sprung into contactwith the opposte sides of the curtain and resting upon the tops ofblocks 65, 6G, and its lower flattened edge extending at right angles tothe curtain beneath the same and beneath blocks 65 and 66. lhen thecurtain drops, this device Will take up and distribute the shock of thefall. 1t is also free to expand and contract under the action of anychange in temperature.

' In case o'f fire, any unequal expansion of the members yconstitutingthe guide-Ways or channels, will be taken care of by the melting offusible'vvashers 60 and by the slots 58 in the Z bars through which thebolts 57 extend.

Having now described our invention, what We desire to claim and protectby Letters Patent is:

l. In a fire shutter, the combination with a roller-shutter, of arotatable drum upon Which the said shutter is adapted to he Wound,counter-balance means for the sluitter, means for rendering thecounterbalance means ineffective, and thus permitting the shutter tofall, means for retarding the fall of. the shutter, operable only whensaid countcrbalanee means has been rendered ineffective, and means formaintaining the shutter constantly parallel to the opening to beprotected in the. wall during its fall, suhstantiall.v as described.

In a lire shutter, the combination with a roller-shutter, of rotatableslmtter-carrying means, means for normally preventing the automaticdescent of the shutter under the influence of gravity, friction brakingmeans, normally in a position out of cooperative relation to saidshuttencarrying means, and means for .releasing said preventing meansyunder conditions of abnormal heat, and placing said friction breakingmeans in position to act upon said shutter-carrying means frictionally,substantially as described.

3. In a hre shutter, the combination with a roller-shuttor-carrying drumand the shutter carried thereby, of means for causing the movement ofthe shutter toward the open ing to be protected by the shutter duringthe univinding of the latter from its drum, yielding means normallyresisting the univinding of the shutter, other means for rel sistingdescent of the shutter, normally .in inoperative position, and means forsimultaneously rendering said yielding .means ineffective and placingsaid other means in operative position, substantially as described.

4. In a fire shutter, the combination with a roller shutter and arotatable drum therefor, of a bodily movable bearing for said drinn,means normally resiliently opposing movements of translation of saidbearing, other resilient opposing means normally ineffective and meansfor releasing said bearing from the restraint of said first opposingmeans and causing said other opposing means to oppose movements of saidbearing, substantially as described.

5. In a lire shutter, the combination with a roller-shutter and arotatable drum therefor, of a counter-balance spring for said shuttermounted Within said drum, a retarding spring outside said drum, andmeans operable upon the occurrence of abnormal heat for rendering saidfirst spring ineifeetive tomaintain said shutter in raised position andfor causing said second spring to resist the descent of said shutter,substantially as described.

6. ln a fire shutter, the combination With a roller-shutter and arotatable drum therefor, of a braking lever, means normally maintainingthe same in inoperative position, and means actuated under conditions ofabnormal heat for releasing said first means, and permitting said leverto fall into braking position, substantially as described.

7. ln a iire shutter, the combination with a roller-shutter androtatable shutter-supporting means, of a pivoted braking lever, meansnormally maintaining the same in inoperative position above saidsupporting means, means normally preventing the automatic descent ofsaid shutter under the influence of gravity, and means for releasingsaid lever and said shutter from s'aid maintaining means and saidpreventing means respectively, substantially as described.

S. ln a lire shutter, the combination With a roller-shutter androtatable shutter-supporting means, of a screw mounted at right anglesto the opening to be protected by said shutter, and means operated bythe descent of said shutter for advancing said supporting means alongthe said screw, substantially as described.

9. 1n a fire shutter, the combination With a drum, a shaft therefor,yielding means tending to retard rotation of said shaft, frictionalretarding means, normally inoperative, and means actuated by abnormalheat for releasing said shaft from said first retarding means, and forcausing said 'frictional retarding means to bear frictionally upon theperiphery of said shaft, substantially as described.

10. 1n a fire shutter, the combination With a roller-shutter, androtatable shutter-supporting means, of means for advancing saidsupporting means at right angles to the aXis thereof, means foractuating said advancing means connected for operation by the descent ofthe shutter, means for opposing yielding resistance to the said advanceof said supporting means, and heatactuated means for placing saidresisting means in operative position, substantially as described.

11. In combination With a fire shutter, -a shutter carrying member,supports therefor, a counter-balance for said member, a normally idleresistance element, means for rendering said counter-balance inoperativeand rendering said idle element operative to retard said shutter in itsdescent.

12. In combination With a fire shutter, a shutter carrying member,supports therefor, a counter-balance for said member, a normally idleresistance element, automatic means for rendering said counter-balanceinoperative and rendering said idle element operative to retard saidshutter in its de- ,scent- 13. ln combination With a. fire shutter, ashutter carrying member, supports therefor, a counter-balance for saidmember, a normally idle resistance element, means for siimiltaneouslyrendering said counter-balance 'inoperative and moving said idle elementinto Working relation to said member.

14E. ln combination With a lire shutter, a shutter carrying member,supports therefor, a counter-balance for said member, a normally idleresista-nce element, automatic means for simultaneously rendering said.counter-balance inoperative and moving said idle element into Workingrelation to said member.

15. ln combination With a fire shutter and shutter carrying member, acounter-balance for said member, a normally idle resistance elementunder thermal control, and means for automatically rendering saidcounterbalance inoperative and rendering said idle element operative toreta-rd said shutter in its descent upon a dangerous rise intemperature, said means permitting manual operation against saidcounterbalance and leaving said idle element inoperative. f

16. In combination, a curtain, a service spring for counterbalancing thecurtain, a normally-inoperative check-device for the curtain, andautomatic means for simultaneously rendering the spring inoperative asa. counterbalance and rendering the checkdevice operative.

17. In combination, a curtain, a service spring for counterbalancing thecurtain, a normally inoperative check-device for the curtain andautomatic means for rendering the spring inoperative as acounter-balance and rendering the check device operative.

18. In combination, a curtain, a service spring for counterbalancing thecurtain, a device for checking the descent of the curtain, and automaticmeans for rendering the spring inoperative as a counterbalance andconnecting the device to the curtain.

19. ln combination, a fire curtain, a service spring forcounterbalancing the curtain, an automatic normally-inoperativecheck-device adapted to ease the descent of the curtain, and means forsimultaneously rendering the service spring inoperative as acounterbalance and rendering the check-device operative.

20. ln combination, a curtain barrel, a curtain on said barrel, aservice spring for normally counter-balancing the curtain, a normallyinoperative check device for retarding the descent of the curtain andmeans operable upon a predetermined rise in temperature for renderingsaid spring inoperative as a counter-balance and at the same timeconnecting said check device to the barrel to retard the descent of thecurtain.

21. In combinatien, a fire curtain, a service spring for normallycounter-balancing This speciication signed and witnessed 10 the curtain,a check device normally disconthis 16th day of August 1911.

nected from the curtain and adapted to ease DANIEL B. BRYAN.

the descent of the curtain When connected HAROLD F. BLANCHARD. thereto,and means operable upon a predellltnesses:

terniined rise in temperature for rendering- FRANK OBRIEN,

the service spring inoperative as a countel- 7. J. MCELROY,

balance and connecting the check device to DYER SMITH,

the curtain. S. W. BAEDER.

Copies of this patent may he obtained for ve cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

